Zuppa Toscana Soup {Olive Garden Copycat Recipe}

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian Sausage (casings removed if necessary)
• 4 oz bacon (about 4 slices), diced into small pieces*
• 1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 small onion)
• 3 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 lbs Russet potatoes, scrubbed and rinsed then sliced into halves, halves diced into 1/6-inch slices
• 1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, crushed (optional)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups half and half
• 1 1/2 cups packed chopped kale
• Finely shredded Romano cheese for serving, optional

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat. Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces and add to saucepan.
2. Cook sausage, stirring occasionally until cooked through. Drain sausage onto a plate or baking dish lined with paper towels, set sausage aside. 
3. Add diced bacon to saucepan, return to heat and saute 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add diced onions and saute mixture until bacon is cooked through and onions are translucent, about 3 - 5 minutes longer.
4. Add chicken broth, water, sliced potatoes, sugar, fennel seeds, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring soup just to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked sausage. 
5. Cover saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 - 15 minutes. 
6. Add in kale then simmer until potatoes are soft and kale is tender, about 5 - 10 minutes longer. 
7. Stir in half and half and warm through. Use a spoon or ladle to remove excess fat from top of soup if desired. Serve warm topped with Romano cheese.

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